Recently, various electronic devices have been provided to users, and portable electronic devices that may be carried with the users to consume various contents, wherein the various electronic devices may include portable terminals, Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Audio Layer 3 (MP3) players, Portable Multimedia Players (PMPs), electronic books, and so forth, have come into wide use. In particular, portable terminals, more specifically, portable terminals that may be referred to as smart phones have a variety of functions integrated therein. These electronic devices, or smart phones, are equipped with displays for allowing users to view various contents. A representative one of the displays is a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), which is lightweight and has low power consumption. The LCD is a light-receiving device which displays an image by controlling the quantity of external light, such that a separate light source, that is, a backlight unit for irradiating light to an LCD panel, is used. Moreover, the LCD has technical limitations in terms of brightness, contrast ratio, a viewing angle, and an area and/or a screen size or panel size. Accordingly, a need for new displays capable of overcoming such technical limitations is increasing. As one of such new displays, an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) has been developed and used as a display. The OLED is a self-light emitting device which uses a light-emitting film as a light-emitting layer without a need for a separate backlight unit, unlike the LCD, such that it may be lightweight and thin. The OLED is also favorable due to its high definition and low power consumption. Moreover, the OLED may be driven at a Direct Current (DC) low voltage and has quick response speed, high strength against a shock, and low manufacturing cost.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a portion of a side cross-section of a related art electronic device, and FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a support plate in which a display module is placed in FIG. 1 according to the related art.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the display module 12, which may also be referred to as an OLED 12, includes an upper plate 12a of a first electrode, a lower plate 12b of a second electrode, and a sealing member 13 which is provided between the upper plate 12a and the lower plate 12b to couple and seal the upper plate 12a and the lower plate 12b with each other. The OLED 12, structured as described above, is positioned on a front surface of an electronic device 10. If a shock is applied to a support plate 11, in particular, if a shock is applied to a front surface of the OLED 12, in a state where the OLED 12 is placed on the support plate 11, then the sealing member 13, which seals the upper plate 12a with the lower plate 12b, may be damaged due to vibration caused by the shock. The external shock applied to the electronic device 10 may generate vibration inside the electronic device 10, more specifically, the OLED 12, and the vibration inside the OLED 12, caused by the shock may cause damage to the sealing member 13 provided between the upper plate 12a and the lower plate 12b, thus damaging the entire OLED 12. Even if the strength of the electronic device 10, in which the OLED 12 is placed, is increased to prevent the above noted problems, the OLED 12 is exposed on the front surface of the electronic device 10, such that if a shock is applied toward the front surface of the OLED 12, the OLED 12 may be damaged due to damage of the sealing member 13. Additionally, FIG. 1 includes a cell sealing portion 14 that is formed by the sealing member 13.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the number of times a shock caused by dropping of the electronic device is applied to the electronic device when the display module is damaged according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 3, when the number of times the shock is applied to the electronic devices 10 is 5.40, on the average, then the display module 12 mounted in the electronic device 10 is damaged. That is, as the shock, such as dropping of the electronic device 10, is applied 5.40 times to the electronic device 10, the display module 12 is damaged, and thus the electronic device 10 may not be available for use by the user.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.